


Something Better than Valhalla or Folkvangr

by bookstorequeer



Category: Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet, Gen, Happy Ending, M/M, Pre-Slash, loki as a father
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-01
Updated: 2012-06-01
Packaged: 2017-11-06 13:52:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/419625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookstorequeer/pseuds/bookstorequeer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Tony is surprised and Loki turns out to be more than just the god of mischief.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something Better than Valhalla or Folkvangr

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Adariall](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adariall/gifts).



> Because I was bored and asked archae_ology to give me a prompt.
> 
> She wanted " _Tony/Loki meeting the children. Loki's kids._ "
> 
> It didn't turn out nearly as cracky as I'd anticipated... In fact, it's kind of bittersweet and sad in places - consider yourself warned!

Tony blinked into his pillow when a ball of soft white light bounced against his head. He squinted up at it, glanced at the time, and groaned.

"It's too fucking early, Loki."

" _I only need 5 minutes, Tony,_ " was the disembodied reply and the tired man took a moment to hate the demigod's ability to circumvent any and all of his security devices on a whim. It was getting tiresome.

"Just because we let you join the Avengers since you're Thor's little bro—"

The low, echoing growl at the Thunder god's name made Tony's groin twitch and he was glad that he had awoken like he normally did—face-first into his pillow. It wasn't all that often that he actually made it to bed alone but when he did, he inevitably awoke with a sore chest from the arc reactor and drool on his pillow. Jarvis always reminded him of why it was a very bad idea to sleep on his life-saving battery but he couldn't seem to help it.

" _It's nothing to do with that merry band of misfits, Stark._ "

Even though he was peeking through sleep and the corner of his eye, Tony was still fairly sure that the light was flailing in some ball-y way with frusration.

"Then what is it?"

He was tired and not nearly caffeinated enough to be dealing with the demented trickster. Tony was wishing that there was a way to hang up on balls of light when he heard a sigh so soft he might have missed it.

" _This wasn't how I wanted this to go. May I start again?_ "

Tony rolled onto his back reluctantly, making sure the sheet was still tucked at roughly waist-level, and grit his teeth. He wanted to say no.

"Fine. Call back, or whatever you call this, in fifteen, okay? I need coffee."

The light flickered and dimmed to practically nothing. Tony pretended that he didn't notice the way it hovered over him before he shut the bathroom door on it, calling to Jarvis for coffee. He had practice ignoring those lights, like he could pretend without letting on that he'd felt Loki's gaze on his ass when he was Iron Man.

 

Caffeinated and dressed in more than just bedhead and creases from the sheets, Tony waited impatiently for Loki and wondered what the trickster could possibly want from him. He decided that if it was pranking Captain Tights, then he could probably get behind that; anything that flushed the blond was more than worth it in his book.

" _Tony?_ "

"Loki."

The lukewarm drink in his hand was bitter on his tongue but at least the light was softer this time, more blues and greens like a giant neon mood ring. He grinned at the thought; sometimes people were so transparent that they didn't even make him try for it. Watching the light bob ever so faintly in front of him, Tony was suddenly, inexplicably sure that Loki was nervous. He couldn't have told you why.

" _I... I mean... No, this shouldn't be so..._ "

"Just spit it out, dude."

There was a pulse of surprise at the nickname but Tony couldn't help himself; when it came to his mouth, he rarely could (and often didn't even try).

" _Will you do me the favour of accompanying me on an errand on the morrow?_ "

The billionaire grinned at how much Loki sounded like his big brother when he got flustered.

"What kind of an errand?" he hedged, because as well as he got along with the slender god—and oftentimes he was the only one of the Avengers willing to actually back the guy, for all they were supposed to be on the same team, which made him sad for some stupid reason—he probably shouldn't get caught doing something to kill, you know, everybody. Loki did have a track record for starting wars if left unattended. And if Tony did help then Fury would probably expect him to try and put a stop to it just as things got interesting and that was just a waste of everybody's time.

If he didn't know better, Tony would have thought that Loki sounded almost bashful, the light tinged just the faintest pink.

" _I have to go see_ _mychildren_."

Tony decided that he really should probably make sure that he'd finished his cup of coffee before speaking to the Asgardian; it was too early for a spit take.

"I'm sorry, I could have sworn that you just said you had to visit your kids. You have _kids_?!"

And that thought didn't terrify him nearly as much as it fascinated him, which was a little horrifying on its own.

" _I did, Tony._ " That voice was hard and broken at the same time. " _My exile has meant that I have not seen them in far too long._ "

"They're in some intergalactic daycare, then?"

He couldn't help the quip but he regretted it when the light dimmed like a flinch.

"You know, it's kind of unfair that you can see me but I can't see you when you call me like this," Tony muttered, shifting uncomfortably on his couch as the silence dragged.

There was a low crack and the faintest smell of ozone before Loki, or a very vivid reproduction of the demigod, was standing in the middle of his coffee table.

"Shit! Give a guy some warning, would you?"

Loki just looked at him. "Will you come with me?"

"Why don't you take Thor?" he asked without thinking, cursing himself at the visible wince and remembering how Loki always seemed aware of Thor whenever the elder was around but also how Thor never seemed to have much time for his little brother. Everything on earth was so new and exciting for the easily distracted blond; not that Tony could blame him but he could see that it still hurt. He knew all about loving but not knowing how to forgive family.

Standing at odds just across the room, without a weapon in hand and looking strangely vulnerable for it, Tony thought that the lost son of Asgard looked worn, tired, and sad. There were a few fading scrapes from their most recent bout with the bad guys that still marred that skin and the expression on Loki's face gave Tony chest pains; he found himself agreeing to the errand just on the hopes that he'd get a smile. He got one that didn't reach pale eyes and Tony was surprised when that wasn't good enough.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow at midday," Loki said before leaving and Tony wasn't sure if it was a threat or a promise."

"I'll set the alarm in time to put some pants on."

He really should have expected the wicked grin that stretched across that face but he was still caught off guard by the "If you must," tossed over a green-clad shoulder as Loki turned in place and disappeared. Tony sat sprawled on the couch, staring at the portion of floor that had once held an absent prince and wondered when he had started checking out _Loki_ 's ass.

 

Jarvis woke him in nearly enough time to find pants but Tony was still shirtless when the demigod appeared without warning.

"Jesus! Learn to knock, you ghost," Tony groused, turning back to the closet he was riffling through. There was no response, so he added, "Since you're here, make yourself useful—what should I wear? Is this formal? Casual? Black-tie? I think I'm starting to see the attraction of always wearing the same thing..."

"This."

Tony blinked at Loki holding out a soft green silk dress shirt that he'd forgotten he even owned; he was sure that he was hallucinating if the god of trickery and lies was helping him dress to meet the man's _children_ and didn't that just blow the mind? He shrugged, not that surprised at the choice given Loki's affinity for green, and slipped into the button-up. He frowned when it gaped at the throat, pulled askew by the arc reactor. A fine-boned hand stopped him from tossing it aside.

"It's perfect."

"But..."

Tony couldn't quite find his thread of argument when Loki looked at him like that. Instead he nodded, grabbed his jacket and his phone on the off chance he'd get reception wherever they were going and told Jarvis not to let anyone in while he was gone. He didn't have the chance to ask where that was before Loki had wrapped arms firmly around him and told him to close his eyes.

At first Tony, being contrary and a shit-disturber by nature, tried to keep aware but the blurring colours and wind in his ears made it difficult to focus and kind of turned his stomach. He buried his face in a warm throat and couldn't quite seem to want to move when the ground stopped shaking.

"Tony," he'd never heard Loki's voice that soft without a lie before. "Tony, we're here."

"Well, yeah, but where's... Wow."

The field around them was greener than any painting Pepper had used his money to buy and the sky was bluer than he'd ever seen. Tony gaped and couldn't let go of Loki when the world suddenly seemed too big. He found himself smiling when Loki just grinned at him and nearly swayed in place when the other man-shaped creature pulled away at a low howl somewhere within the trees.

Tony really hadn't had the time to wonder what he was expecting but he definitely did not predict Loki dropped to his knees with a joyful yipping bark of his own and being wilfully bowled over by a streak of silver. Watching Loki's face change into something unrecognizably like joy as a _wolf_ smothered him in surprisingly dog-like affection, Tony was glad that he hadn't tried to picture it.

Smiling and wishing he'd brought a camera, the lone human was nearly knocked to the grass himself when something nudged him firmly. He turned, hoping that it wasn't another wolf come to eat his vulnerable bits, and couldn't help but stare. In his defence, he'd never seen a horse with six legs before, much less one with eight.

"Uhhh, Loki?"

Tony couldn't stop a grin at the ungodly giggle behind him, for all that he was a little preoccupied by the horse currently breathing into his navel and staring at him like he should have already started petting it. Slowly, ready to snatch back the digit if the thing started showing more sharp teeth than he expected, Tony ran a hesitant finger down its forehead. The huff of breath against his shirt and the nudge was close enough to the horses he'd seen through the fence at the last science camp he'd attended—before he turned twelve and tried to blow up the outhouse—that Tony felt marginally more confident in giving skritches. He found himself grinning and bracing himself when that just got him more horse snuggling close. And there was really no other word for having an eight-legged beast practically clambering into your lap when you were doing your best to stay standing.

"He likes apples," came a quiet voice at his side and Tony found that he had almost give up jumping in surprise, but not quite.

"He, uh, he does, does he?"

"Uh huh."

The distinctly under-twenty response reassured him that even if she looked a bit off in terms of normal, this girl definitely had Loki's blood in there somewhere.

"Do you have any?"

She shook her head and looked just past him in time for Tony to turn and see the pale hand holding a shiny green apple like one that could have come from Eden, just over his shoulder. He followed the arm slowly up to Loki and smiled at the warmth in those eyes; Tony hadn't expected a freaking _horse_ when he got up this morning but he had to admit that the creature was pretty damn cute and watching it hop for the apples Loki was tossing like target practice just made him laugh.

Eventually they settled on the grass, replete on conjured apples and sunshine; Tony wasn't sure if he'd spent this much time out of his suit in the past month. He closed his eyes and scratched a little harder on the nape beneath his fingers, just to hear the wolf snuffle in contented sleep. There was a horse flopped over his legs and Loki beside him with a little girl sleeping on his chest and a snake curled around his thigh; it was the best rest Tony could remember in a long time and when he awoke to Loki telling him they had to return to Earth, he didn't want to leave.

"But can't they come with us?"

Loki's face was drawn and pale like this was an amputation and Tony cursed his selfishness for asking when it wasn't his place.

"Th-they're safe here," was the broken whisper, hoarse and rough against Tony's cheek as he leant close. "I can't bring them to a place that will fear them."

"We'll come back," Tony returned, feeling his hair brush Loki's jaw as the demigod wrapped arms around him. "I think Bruce would like it here and he'd certainly match the colour scheme." He tried to ignore the choked laugh against his temple. "I think Steve could probably throw an apple even Sleipnir couldn't find."

"I think they'd like that."

"Then let's go home so we can come back."

This time Tony didn't notice the earth dropping from beneath his feet because Loki's hand was warm on the skin beneath his wrinkled green shirt and he was too focused on the feel of those lips brushing faintly against his forehead in whispered words he couldn't hear. The demigod pretended not to hear him when he asked about it.

 

It was nearly a week and some surreptitious research later before Tony was able to corner to Asgardian, still aching from battle and weary. He kissed the demigod before he could talk himself out of it and whispered, "I can't believe you're Sleipnir's _mother_!" Loki just laughed until he was crying and Thor was looking thoroughly confused. Steve was staring like he hadn't learned to expect it from Tony and Fury was rolling his eye and throwing up his hands as he stalked off.

Tony grinned and winked at Bruce, high on success and the hand slithering slowly into his back pocket as he walked. The pinch was unexpected and he fully would have blamed Natasha for the shriek if he wasn't halfway convinced that she could kill him without moving.

Instead he clapped his hands together for their attention, tossed a grin at Loki who nodded and returned his smile, and said, "So, who's up for a field trip? I know just the place..."

**End.**


End file.
